The first day of the joint funeral for Liam Gazzo Harris Parks, 1, his older sister, Isis Gabriela Centeno Parks, 6, and Liam’s older brother and twin to Isis, Oseas Gael Centeno Parks, 6, was held in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx on Tuesday, May 26. As reported, all three children tragically died following a residential fire in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx on Monday, May 11. Meanwhile a GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund the cost of the funeral and other expenses.

 

The three young siblings, who lived at 2609 Bainbridge Avenue, were laid out in matching white and light blue clothes, Isis in a white dress and light blue cardigan, Liam in a white suit with a light blue shirt, and Oseas, also in a white suit, light blue shirt and a light yellow tie. Liam’s father, Kwesi Harris, later explained the significance of the chosen colors to Norwood News, saying the blue represented the sky and the white, purity and innocence, adding that he and the children’s mother now see them as angels.

Affixed to Oseas’ casket was a notice from LiveOnNY, the organization which coordinates organ donation across New York State, informing mourners that, as reported, the little boy had saved the lives of three people through the donation of some of his organs. The funeral continued on Wednesday at Woodlawn Cemetery, north of Norwood.

 

Norwood News spoke to one of the children’s uncles in the hallway of the funeral home on May 26 and asked how the family were coping. “As you can hear, my mother and my grandmother [are] there and they’re screaming,” the heartbroken man said.

 

Several matriarchal-type women were earlier seen in close proximity to the caskets comforting the chief mourners, one of whom appeared to be the children’s grandmother or possibly a great grandmother and who appeared visibly and audibly inconsolable. One of the women was seen embracing her and was heard saying something to the effect of, “Let it all out,” as the older woman cried out in pain.

“It’s a tremendous loss for the Harris family,” the children’s uncle continued. He paused, sighed, and continued, adding, “It’s just we were hoping and praying that at least two could survive, or one could survive even.” As reported, Liam was the first to die, followed by Isis a few days later, and then Oseas a few days after that. According to two sources we spoke to, the young family had already tragically lost at least one other child prior to the fire.

 

The children’s uncle continued, “And then, we hear that no survivor and it’s very tragic and also lost for words because somehow it just cannot be explained. This grief is very deep, especially for the mother. Losing three children at the same time, it’s very hard. We were hoping and praying that the divine God could intervene in her and give her the strength to endure in this stage, and hopefully go to a stage of healing.”

Asked how the children’s other siblings were coping, their uncle said, “Oh, they’re not doing well. They’re very devastated. Imagine seeing them on a day-to-day basis, greeting them, and having a relation with them and all of a sudden, they’re emotionless. That’s a grief I would not wish on my worst enemy at this point. It’s very hard.”

 

Asked if he wanted to describe the children’s personalities, their uncle tried to smile and said, “Well, they were very rambunctious, especially Liam. He enjoyed life. He enjoyed playing with his siblings. He enjoyed watching TV, just a normal one-year-old toddler, so.. Isis, same thing, you know.”

He sighed deeply again. “They loved going to school,” he continued. “That day, they didn’t go to school. That’s something that they enjoyed doing and it’s just unfortunate that they won’t be able to experience life.”

 

A funeral wreath sent from P.S. 54, the school Isis and Oseas attended, was seen at the funeral home along with an accompanying message that read, “Each of your beautiful children brought immense light and joy to this world. While we cherish Isis and Oseas in our hallways and classrooms, our entire P.S. 54 community also wrapped Baby Liam in our love. The laughter, warmth and bright spirits they all shared deeply touched our teachers, staff and students and they will always remain a cherished part of our school family.”

Other wreaths also lined the area around the caskets and elsewhere. As reported, before the FDNY arrived at the fire scene on May 11, the family’s brave neighbor, Jaime Cuevas Ventura, accompanied the children’s mother to the second floor apartment door of the home on the day of the fire and tried to enter but the smoke overwhelmed them.

 

Cuevas Ventura, a gunshot victim with an injured leg, later climbed up the back of the building and entered a neighboring apartment where a mother and child, neighbors of the Parks/Harris family, were sleeping and woke them up and helped them escape out the back window. Read more here. Cuevas Venturas and other neighbors also attended the funeral of the Parks children.

 

Outside Ortiz Funeral Home on Southern Boulevard, various family members and friends were seen wearing white t-shirts with a photo of the three children displayed on the front. One person said about 45 people had traveled to New York [from Virginia, we understand, and elsewhere] for the funeral.

 

We also spoke to one of the children’s cousins who went by the nickname, Big Yoyo, and asked if she wanted to say anything about the children or describe their personalities. “Yeah, the only thing I want to say is that I really did enjoy my time with them, especially since I knew them since they were born,” she said. “I’ve been there. Yeah, that’s my mom’s sister. I’m going to miss them. They were fun and I always used to play with the little boy. They liked to sing and dance. They liked to play around. The baby, his favorite color was green.”

 

Liam’s father said that Wednesday, June 3, is the last day the family will receive emergency hotel accommodation and told Norwood News he would be grateful for any help the public can offer in terms of helping his family with future accommodation therefore. An accompanying extract from the GoFundMe link set up by his brother, Dwain Johnson, reads in part, “Can’t even muster the words to amount the pain my family is going through, for our 3 little angels.”

 

The extract went on to explain how firefighters rushed to the apartment “doing their absolute best” to save the children, but that the heat was so intense that New York’s bravest were unable to resuscitate Liam. Johnson said that at the NY Presbyterian Hospital burn unit, doctors did their very best to extract soot from Oseas’ and Isis’ lungs, while the family kept vigil and slept in the same hospital room with them, as they remained in critical condition.

 

“Though no burns were visible for Oseas and Isis, the doctor’s efforts to try to clear the soot out of [their] lungs was a race for the best possible results,” Johnson said. “At first, Isis’ vitals were doing well, while Oseas’ heart rate was low but by Day 3, Isis’ heart rate dropped and both babies were depending on the ventilator.”

 

Johnson said by Day 4, with the family not leaving the hospital and other family members arriving from all over the world, praying and hoping for a miracle, Isis’ heart rate dropped below critical. He said though doctors tried to resuscitate her, her lungs just couldn’t withstand all they had gone through. “Friday, May 15, our angel, Isis, unfortunately passed away,” her uncle said.

 

The children’s uncle said soon after, Oseas’ heart rate jumped up to about 97 and despite their overall devastation, it gave the family a glimmer of hope that Oseas might soon, at least, respond as he seemed to have been on track to recover.

 

Johnson said their hope was short-lived after a neurologist tried several tests to see if Oseas would respond, but later brought the children’s parents into another room to disclose the news he said no one wanted to hear; Oseas’ had no brain activity. He said on Day 6, the doctors gave the family a few more days to see if any positive changes would appear, but the situation did not change and he added that Oseas’ lungs were at that point totally dependent on the ventilator for oxygen for his body.

 

The children’s uncle added, “It was the hardest realization to face the unimaginable that all 3 of our angels were called to heaven too soon, and it breaks our hearts to wish we could have an eternity to hold them and say ‘I love you’ endlessly.” Johnson said the children’s father is a loving father and former soldier who served in the military in Guyana for 10 years. He said the “devoted father and husband” subsequently decided, along with his wife, Guillermina, who he also described as a devoted mother and wife, to donate Oseas’ organs.

 

He added that the organ donations on May 18 allowed three organ recipients to live healthy lives, despite the “unspeakable tragedy” that took place. He also explained that the name “Oseas” means “salvation” in Spanish, and that Oseas will always be a hero. “Though [he] and his siblings transitioned to heaven, he was able to restore the lives of 3 people who needed such an angel,” Johnson said.

 

The GoFundMe narrative concluded, “We hope you keep us in your prayers. Please hold your loved ones tight. Couldn’t imagine that a day after Mother’s Day would be the last time I could hug, kiss, and stare at the beautiful faces of my babies. If you like to support us during this time, kindly donate anything you can, even say something kind to the Savior for us, as this situation has brought us to being in the state of disbelief that this happened. Thank you.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the GoFundMe page can do so here.

Meanwhile, the firehouse located on Briggs Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, which was the site of a fire on Thursday, March 26, was still closed on May 13, an FDNY employee informed Norwood News, when we passed by the building. Ladder Company 37 is reportedly operating from another location pending the reopening of the firehouse. Fourteen firefighters were injured during the fire, some hospitalized and later released from Jacobi hospital.

 

Back at the funeral for the three children, a representative from LiveOnNY, who was also in attendance, told Norwood News she overheard one of the mourners say of the children’s mother, “She’ll cry forever.”

 

To learn more about organ donation in New York State, visit https://www.liveonny.org/.

 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation according to the FDNY.

 

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”